Union Hill commuters waiting for completion of project
BY REBECCA MORTON
Staff Writer

MARLBORO - Commuters who use the Union Hill Road park-and-ride lot are anxiously awaiting the conclusion of an improvement project at the site.

The centerpiece of the project is the installation of a traffic signal at the location where the driveways of two shopping centers are opposite one another.

Anthony Saggese, of Marlboro, believes the pedestrian crosswalk as it now exists is dangerous. He said motorists often speed down Union Hill Road going 40 to 50 mph and do not yield to pedestrians who are in the crosswalk.

State law requires motorists to yield to pedestrians who are in a crosswalk.

"People need to obey the speed limit, especially with the pedestrians and local traffic in that area. It's also an old country road that is not designed for high speeds," he said.

Saggese said he has experienced two incidents at the site in which he came close to being severely injured. He said that two months ago while he was crossing Union Hill Road a driver who was exiting the Cambridge Square shopping plaza hit him with the car. The incident was not severe, as Saggese only received a tap, so he did not report the incident to police.

He said that recently he and his wife were trying to cross Union Hill Road when a driver in an SUV nearly hit them.

"He didn't see us and we had to jump back onto the curb," Saggese said.

Wayne Kessler is also concerned with what he called the slow pace of the construction work that has seen a traffic signal installed at the spot where the driveways for the Cambridge Square and Exclusive Plaza shopping centers are opposite each other.

"We were promised a traffic light by April 2007. What we have is an incomplete traffic light and a problem that still remains," Kessler said.

Township Engineer Jim Priolo said construction crews are waiting for JCP&L to conclude their work on the power lines.

"Once they are done we can go and bang out our work to finish up this project," he said, adding that work at the site has been on hold since about June 1.

Priolo said JCP&L employees were scheduled to work on the project during the week of the July 8, but from what he heard they never did. He said the delay has set the project back a month or two.

Gerry Ricciardi, area manager for JCP&L, said there have been numerous delays from the start of the project, not all because of JCP&L. He said on some occasions a JCP&L crew would go to the site, only to be told by the contractor's representatives that they were not ready for JCP&L.

Delays on JCP&L's part came about because of emergencies, Ricciardi said. On two or three occasions motor vehicle accidents elsewhere knocked down power lines and forced the crews to leave the Marlboro site early. He said some power issues have to be addressed immediately.

Ricciardi said the new traffic light has power and all of the utility's work on the traffic light is done. He said there is some work remaining in the commuter lot. He said if the road is a municipal road (as Union Hill Road is), then it is municipal officials who decide when the power will be turned on.

Due to thunderstorms, JCP&L crews lost half a day's work on July 18. He said as long as the weather permits, JCP&L is scheduled to complete its portion of the project on July 27.

Priolo said if the power company completes its work on schedule, the job should be substantially complete by Labor Day.

The improvement project on Union Hill Road has been in the works since 2005, according to information published in previous News Transcript articles. The project involved relocating the entrance to the Exclusive Plaza commuter lot so it lines up with the entrance to the Cambridge Square shopping center, as well as the construction of the traffic light. The previously cited completion date for the work was April 2007.